Choose a book you can read comfortably
The British Council’s picture-book guidance describes shared reading, repeated encounters with familiar stories and choosing books that suit a child’s interests. Pictures give you something to talk about alongside the text.
Before reading together, look through the book yourself. Check whether you can read the text comfortably and explain the main events. A short text still needs a story or subject your child wants to spend time with.
Separate story time from a reading task
For the first reading, your aim might simply be to follow what happens. Let the pictures and your voice carry the story. You can talk about a surprising picture without asking your child to decode every word on the page.
For another reading, choose a small task. For example, ask your child to find the character’s missing hat in the pictures, or choose a favourite page and explain the choice. These are suggested activities; completing them does not demonstrate independent reading of the text.
Make a note about the response
“Enjoyed the ending” tells you something different from “read the final sentence without help.” Keep those observations separate. A child who can repeat a familiar line may be recalling it rather than reading each word.
You do not need a new book for every session. A familiar book can stay in the routine while you change the conversation around it. If you want a separate word-reading activity, use material that matches the phonics sequence your child is learning.